How Pembroke Pines Handles Outdoor Lighting: A Practical Guide
Pembroke Pines maintains 124 local ordinances across all categories, and 2 of those deal specifically with outdoor lighting. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Pembroke Pines falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.
Dark Sky Rules
Pembroke Pines requires full cutoff, directionally shielded fixtures on nonresidential pole lighting and directs architectural and landscape lighting downward with full shielding under Code of Ordinances §§ 155.686(F) and 155.687(A), to cut glare, light trespass, and light pollution.
Key details: Nonresidential pole fixtures: Must be full cutoff type. Architectural lighting: Directed downward, shielded. Up-lighting: Low intensity, full shielding required. Construction lighting: Full cutoff or directionally shielded. Max color temp (business/industrial): 4,000 K.
Installing pole-mounted nonresidential lighting that is not full cutoff, or architectural/construction lighting that lacks the required directional shielding, is a code violation caught at site plan review and building inspection by the Planning and Economic Development Department. No standalone fine is listed in the lighting subchapter, so enforcement falls under the citywide general penalty at § 10.99: up to a $500 fine, up to 90 days imprisonment, or both, with continued noncompliance charged daily as a separate offense.
Light Trespass & Shielding
Pembroke Pines caps outdoor lighting at 0.5 footcandles measured at the property line of any project under Code of Ordinances § 155.686(D), and requires house-side shields and reflectors so light rays stay confined to the site instead of spilling onto neighbors.
Key details: Property-line cap: 0.5 footcandles maximum. Site-wide maximum: 12 footcandles. Site-wide minimum average: 2 footcandles at grade. Required hardware: House side shields and reflectors. Pole height limit: 30 feet above grade.
Installing or maintaining outdoor lighting that exceeds the 0.5 footcandle property-line cap, or omitting the required house-side shields, is a code violation reviewed at site plan and building permit stages by the Planning and Economic Development Department. Because § 155.686 sets no standalone fine, enforcement defaults to the citywide general penalty at § 10.99: up to a $500 fine, up to 90 days imprisonment, or both, with each day of continued noncompliance a separate offense.
The Bottom Line
Pembroke Pines's outdoor lighting rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Pembroke Pines is broadly strict or permissive.
These rules come from Pembroke Pines's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.